Telephone switching-cabinet



J. H. DITCH AND w. TQ BURNS. TELEPHONE SWITCHING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25| 19.16.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Mar. 15 1921.

J. H. DITCH AND W. T. BURNS.

TELEPHONE SWITCHING,- CABINET.

L fi Q QNRNA w u r1 aE M d3 .w n m P. m m m m.

UNITED STATES- PATENT oFFiciE.

JOHN H. DITGH AND WILLIAllI T. BURNS, OF ALT OO NA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TELEPHONE SWITGHING-CABINET.

specification cf Letters Patent. Patented 15, 1921.:

Application filed January 25, 1916. Serial No. 74,209.

switching cabinets in, railway blockoffices wherein the telephone has superseded .the telegraph as a means of communication between points within the block, or from places out of the same.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a push key operated telephone switching cabinet such that its functions will not be in any way interfered with when making repairs to the line or cabinet connections. 7

A further object of the device is to provide a telephone switching cabinet that is of a durable, compactconstruction, having all the various parts easily accessible and main tained. i

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved cabinet. f

Fig. 2 is an end view of the cabinet shown in Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 3 is a sectional view ofthe cabinet and clearlyillustrates thetelephone push keys, telephone jack, and annuncia'tor.

Fig. 4E is-a plan view of the telephone switching cabinet with the cabinet cover removed, showing the arrangement of annunciators, push keys and locking devices.

- Fig. '5 is a front elevation illustrating the annunciator rack thrown up for accessibility and inspection.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal view taken on theline 6-6 of Fig. 3. I i

Fig. 7 is an end view of the cabinet as shown in Fig. 5. v

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the push key locking bar. r

Fig. 9 shows a front elevational view of the locking bar, the keys'being shown in V 7 section.

Similar reference characters designate.

corresponding parts throughoutthe several figures of the drawings.

In carrying out this invention, no change,

is contemplated in the usual type of'telephone, nor any of its associated parts which are essential for the perfect transmission of sound waves, but our invention is directed to a cabinet for conveniently supporting and housing a push key interlocking device associated with a telephonejack and telephone annunciator in a manner such as to automatically connect the telephone tov any one of a number of telephone lines terminating in a cabinet so constructed as to provide terminals for a plurality of different lines, each line being associated with a key in the cabinet which, when pushed, automatically locks the telephone to the line and simultaneously restores the signal, as well as locking itself in the pushed position, to be released by ushing in another key or the shifting by and of the locking meansitself.

Accordingly, to this end, we employ a telephone cabinet 10 having positioned.

. 85 rality of push keys 12, each of which co-.

therein a hinged frame 11, carrying a plu operates with a telephone'jack devicedesignated generally as 13, and having a suitable call annunoiator '14, which is permitted to move when the call is made and is" restored to its operative position through the cooperation of the articular push key 12 associated with the ack device. v

For the purpose of keeping or'locking the telephone to the line, a suitable key actuated keeper bar is provided, the same being desig nated by the reference character 15 and shown more clearly in Figs. 8 and 9, although shown in its assembledrela'tion to I the other cabinet parts in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and

u. This bar. 15 is provided with a plurality of horizontally elongated openings that receive the shank portions of the keys l2,

which latter, in, addition to having the head portion 1%, carry a cone collar 12 adapted to have a camming engagement with the sides of the openings in the keeper bar. One end of the bar is provided with an offset handle portion 15 which may be engaged by the operator to shift the bar laterally to disengage it from the key which it holds in a; pushed in position to release'thesame from the line terminals 'm-m. -However, the releasing of a key 12'may alsobe effected by the pushing inlof another key. For in stance, assume that one of the keys 12 is pushed in, its cone collar will cause the bar to move to the right, until the said cone has passed clear through the: opening, then the a liar, by virtue of a spring 15", willbe pulled back to its normal position and the key will be maintained at the end of its inward limit,

again be pushed to the right thereby bring ingthe opening throughwhich the first key passed in such a position that the said key,

which has been locked in, may jump back to its normalposition. If itis desired to release the key before another key is pushed in, the operator may shift the bar laterally by pushing the handle projection 15. Accordingly, it will be understood that a key which is pushedin can only be released by pushing the bar to the right againstthe tension of the spring l5. by hand or by pushlng in another key which performs the same function.

Referring to Fig. 5, the first four terminals 24 are connccted to the annunciators or drops, the second four 24 are connected to the selector circuits, the selectors of which sity, each selector responding to certain fixed 0. by the numeral 30 is wired in connection with the extension bell, the a function of which will be explained later in the specifi-' impulses sentout by theloperator. The fifth pair 25, connects the night alarm bell with all the jacks and with each night alarm contact on the annunciator, and the sixth pair 26 connects with the interrupter primary,

while theseventhpair 27 of terminals connect with the interrupter secondary; the function of which is to furnish ringing current to the telephone line at the option of the cabinet operator.

The ringing key 16, when pushed by the operator, has the function of energizing the primary coil of the interrupter by connecting the direct current from a battery to the primary winding. An induced alternating current is thus established in the secondary winding of the interrupter, and the ringing action is thus accomplished.

The main telephone set is represented by the eighth pair of terminals, designated by the numeral 28, Fig. 5, and is associated with what is termed an emergency jack 29. In case of trouble with the main telephone set designated by thenumeral 28, the opera tor plugs in at 29 and the main set is thus cut out, then with the opposite end of the cord the operator plugs in at 29 thus connecting to the extra set.

L The ninth pair of terminals, designated cation. The tenth pair of terminals, designated by the numeral 31, is connected to the device for the use The extension bell set, connected to the ninth pair of terminals designated by the numeral 30, may be termed an auxiliary indicating device, and" its function is manifested in case the operator, after talking over'a line, neglects to release the indicator or push the key, and a party on the line just used wishing to call the operator would cause the ringing of the extension bell, thus notifying theoperator that someone wished to again use the line.

From the above description together with the drawings, it will be apparent without further elaboration that this improved device completely provides for the adaptation are operated by currents of different intenofa push key device to be assembled in a suitably formed cabinet wherein are installed telephone jacks and annunciators or drops, in suchmanner and with such other necessary apparatus as to form a complete of a plurality of telephones and one or more tele )hone lines, as now in daily use in railway biock signal systems of the most modern railroads.

From the foregoing, it is thought, that the many featuresand advantages of the pres ent invention will be readily apparent, and

-it will, of course, be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scopeof the appended claim.

We clalm A telephone exchange cabinet including a hinged cover, a face plate member adapted.

operatewith the face plate to form the en' tire front of the cabinet, and a plurality of plug receptacles carried by said panel-strip.

In testimony whereofwe afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. DITGH. WILLIAM T. BURNS.

Witnesses: I I

JAMES T. HANLON, 

